A Tennessee preacher has become a veritable internet celebrity after a video was released online of the preacher checking his phone while in the middle of speaking in tongues.
The preacher in the video is conservative preacher Perry Stone.
Pastor stone not only looks like the most stereotypical money-machine pastor, but he also acts like the most stereotypical money-machine pastor. His website boasts an eye-watering amount of products, including literally hundreds of DVDs and CDs which claim to teach you such things as faith, spirituality and the usual achieving enlightenment stuff.
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However, the pastor has recently received widespread fame for much less spiritual reasons.
A video that was recorded during one of pastor Stone’s Thursday night sermons shows the preacher sat at a table while praying over his congregation.
Although, as the preacher begins speaking in tongues, he does something less than professional.
The preacher, while still halfheartedly speaking in tongues, picks up his phone and checks his messages.
Stone quickly looks through his phone before placing it down on the table once again. However, shortly after he picks it up yet again, and lets out a monotonous low groan for no less than 40 seconds while he reads his messages.
Stone tried to remove the clip from the internet; however, it was re-uploaded by atheist activist Hemant Mehta.
Stone emits no tangible sounds aside from the same low groan for nearly a minute before placing his phone down again and somewhat lamely adding, “Hallelujah”.
The video has since been viewed over 2.4 million times and has received over 65, 000 likes.
People were quick to criticize the preacher for his unenthusiastic attempt to speak in tongues and general attitude.
Other churches even jumped on board with slamming the preacher. The Universal Life Church Ministries shared the video in its entirety and wrote this sardonic accompaniment:
“Have you ever been busy speaking in tongues when you get interrupted by a really juicy text? […]
“Who knew you could go on autopilot while channeling the Holy Spirit? Looks like even faith leaders aren’t immune to the 21st-century malady of ‘phone addiction.’
“On the other hand, maybe he was getting messages from the big guy upstairs? Do we think God upgraded to the new iPhone? Actually, God probably uses a Galaxy.”
Stone has strongly defended his ability to channel the word of God in the wake of the video as people called him a “fraud”.
Other responses to the video included:
“When you’re watching the Dominos Pizza Tracker”.
“He’s phoning it in”.
And, “This is disrespectful. He’s clearly speaking in tongue about the Candy Crush Saga of Jesus Christ.”
Stone recently took to YouTube to explain why he was looking at his phone.
In the video titled, “Why I was looking at my phone…” Stone angrily fires back at the people who have mocked him and claims that he was checking his phone for a message from a friend’s wife who has cancer.
Stone’s story is yet to be validated and the internet is divided between people apologizing to him, and those accusing him of lying to cover himself. If it is true then that is obviously terrible for the woman and her family, and hopefully, she is doing well.
However, what the video doesn’t explain is why Stone feels it okay to check the message while claiming to be channeling the word of God, instead of simply explaining to his flock the situation and praying for the woman during the service.
Skepticism of Stone could perhaps stem from some of his quite radical and unsubstantiated claims in the past.
For pretty much all of Stone’s devoted followers, the act of him checking his phone has been completely justified, and cancer is obviously not something that someone should be slammed over. However, Stone has done a lot of other questionable things which should not be forgotten.
Back in July 2019, for instance, Stone claimed that as punishment for advocating for women’s rights such as the right to abortions, America would suffer a tsunami:
“I am here to announce to you that unless there is true repentance, unless the corporations in America quit supporting pro-abortion mills, unless the American people and their politicians begin to understand that life is sacred from the beginning, we will experience a judgment of water in the United States of America.”
Regardless of whether Stone may be justified in checking his phone, he is still a troubling character.
Stone also claimed only last year that “world leaders, particularly in Europe, have not only abandoned their Christian background but actively pray to Satan” according to the Christian Post .
Stone is a practiced fear-monger, who uses a hateful rhetoric which suggests that those who do not agree with him are not only wrong but fundamentally immoral as a means to mass control and monetary gain. This is not something novel, Stone is simply a practiced proponent of this unpleasant form of Christian rhetoric.
Hopefully, this form of rhetoric will die out; however, with it being so lucrative, that is sadly unlikely.
Tsunamis are not caused by abortions — and the fact that something so ridiculous needs to be explained to people such as Stone is just upsetting. The current climate is rife with people throwing around ridiculous claims as facts, and not being held to account for the impact that they have on the world. It is natural for us to think that truth will prevail in the world; however, as the days go by, that seems like a more and more unlikely ideal.
h/t: Daily Mail
